I do not particularly care for the Republican Governor of Ohio, Michael DeWine, but I must give him kudos for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Even before Ohio had recorded its first confirmed case of the virus he had cancelled events that would have attracted visitors from across the country. He ordered all public and private schools to shut down beginning this week, and Sunday he ordered all restaurants and bars to close their doors except for carryout orders.
Today the Ohio primary was scheduled to take place. I had not voted early or filed an absentee ballot because I did not have any trips scheduled for March. Now that Ohio has 50 confirmed cases with 24 of them in my county, I was debating whether or not I should vote today. Then yesterday the governor asked for a delay of the primary. I was happy to hear that. But then the news came that a Court of Appeals judge in Columbus had denied the request.
I went to bed wondering if I could time my trip to the polling place so that there would not be a crowd of voters. I thought about setting the alarm to get up and vote when the polls open at 6:30, but I thought that many others might have the same idea and that many people on their way to work vote early in the morning. I decided that the best time might be mid-morning.
I got up this morning at my usual time and checked the internet to see if their had been any developments through the night. Indeed there had been. Late last night the Director of the Department of Health declared a health emergency and stated that the polls must not open. The Supreme Court of Ohio issued a last minute ruling upholding the postponement of the Ohio Primary. Since senior citizens are the ones who are most likely to vote, and they are also the ones most vulnerable to the virus, it is a wise decision.
I can stay home today!
No comments:
Post a Comment